


Before it Began

by Jam Blute (CrookedCompass)



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Ashen Demon, Battle, Gen, Good Parent Jeralt Reus Eisner, Mentioned Jeralt Reus Eisner, Mentioned Sothis (Fire Emblem), Mercenary My Unit | Byleth, Swearing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-12
Updated: 2020-10-12
Packaged: 2021-03-07 18:00:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 499
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26971792
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CrookedCompass/pseuds/Jam%20Blute
Summary: In her days as the Ashen Demon, Byleth spoke little and expressed even less. Her father taught her well regardless, and more than just how to fight. His guidance showed her how to be human, however difficult that could be at times.
Kudos: 6





	Before it Began

Their attack on the bandit stronghold began just before dawn and the sun had risen enough now that it could be called early morning. Father was somewhere behind Byleth, only a few enemies between them at any given time, but it was an uncrossable divide. With every bandit that fell, another came to take their place. Even with their combined abilities, Byleth and Jeralt could not have fought off these bandits on their own.

It was fortunate that Father knew mercenaries in the area to help clear the stronghold out for the local villages.

Byleth wasn't tired yet. Her heart was still and her sword was steady. She cut through the bandits efficiently, ensuring quick deaths when she could. They didn't have time to waste. The bandits' blood soaked the front of her armor and more reinforcements still came from their base. That quick glance away earned her a bandit rushing from her flank, and she deftly parried the attack with her sword, piercing their armor with a stab in the following opening. Another gone and another would follow.

"Damn it!" Byleth didn't recognize the voice, or rather, she couldn't name who it was. That was definitely the mercenary woman Jeralt enlisted for help at the bar the other day. They were allies. "It's not over, not here."

Byleth couldn't see the situation, but she wouldn't neglect an ally in need. Father said no self-respecting mercenary did that. Setting off through the battlefield, Byleth used fist and blade alike to break through to where she heard the voice. Past the bandits, she caught a glimpse of their ally, her face contorted in bitterness and pain. Her quiver was empty and her shortsword was at the breaking point.

A nick of a blade stole Byleth's attention away again, narrowly cutting her forearm above the bracer. The price a mercenary pays for not fighting what's in front of them, Father warned her in her mind. Another voice struggled to be heard, but—no. It wasn't the time. Byleth withdrew to get distance between her and the sneering bandit, closing it for the last time with a mighty sweep that cut through their weathered armor and left them collapsed on the ground. Still. Steady.

"The hell...?" The woman's remark seemed distant as Byleth fought her way to her, felling bandits until they had enough of a break to reunite. Byleth looked at her and the woman stared in disbelief. "All this was you? Just you?"

There were more corpses around them than she realized until the woman commented on it. But the relative peace would only last for a short moment, so Byleth wrenched a sword from one of the dead bandit's hands. The woman would need a new weapon. A shame there was no archer among the dead for her to resupply her arrows.

Oh. She was expected to answer now. Byleth cleared her throat, her voice raspy from infrequent use, and held out the sword. "It's not over. Not here."

**Author's Note:**

> This one was a short little exercise in writing Byleth pre-feelings teaching from adorable monastery kiddos, but it was fun! Any comments are very appreciated and welcome.
> 
> [Follow me on Tumblr](https://jamblute.tumblr.com/) or [on Twitter](https://twitter.com/jamblute/) to see more of my works and just things I like to share and chat about!


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